William sobey



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W. 'SOBEY.

WHEEL GULTIVATOR.

No. 389,859. Patented Sept. '18, 1888.

(No Model.) '2 Shets-Sheet 2.

W. SQBEY.

WHEEL GULTIVATOR.

Patented Sept. 18, 1888.

. 1 mm P y. m/ I V. 1

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM SOBEY, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE J. I. CASE PLOW WORKS, OF SAME PLACE.

WHEEL-=CULTIVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 389,859, dated September 18, 1888.

I Application filed January 3, IP88. Serial No. 259,557. (So model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,WILLIAM SOBEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Racine, in the county of Racine and State of \Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wheel Cultivators; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

- My invention relates to cultivators; and its object is to provide an improved construction which will enable the operator to raise the plows or either of them with very little expenditure of strength, and which will sustain them when raised as long as may be desired.

My invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combination, which are fully disclosed in the following specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wheel-cultivator with my improved constructions applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an elevation of one form of lifting device. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are detail views ofparts of the mechanisms.

In Fig. 1 I have shown a wheel-cultivator provided with an arched or curved bar frame, A, supported upon two L-shaped axles, B 0. Each wheel of the cultivator is mounted on the horizontal arm of the L-shaped axle B G, which extends but a short distance toward the center of the machine. The other arm, 0, of the axle is a vertical standard, which is preferably integral with the horizontal arm B. This standard is attached to the elevated portion of the arched bar A by means of the clips 0 c, and similar clips, or a,secure the downwardly-extending arms of the arched bar to the horizontal arm of the axle. The attachment of the bar A to the axle B and the attachment of the standard 0 to the bar A are such that provision is made for the adjustment of the axle and wheel in respect to the bar A. These clips will be hereinafter more fully described.

In the form of my invention shown on the right in Fig. 1 and in elevation in Fig. 2 the axle B is provided with a clamp or box, D,

.as shown in Fig. 2.

which is formed in two parts and bolted on either side of the axle to form a hinge-connection. To this clamp are connected the parallel plow-beams E E, which are provided at their ends with Y-shaped projections e e and e e,the former of which engage the clamp D, 5 and are connected thereto by bolts passing entirely through the same and forming hinges, The projections e e are attached to a short horizontal bar, F, in a similar manner, and tothe extremities of this bar are attached the plows in any convenient or suitable manner. To one of the plow-beams E is attached a handle, by which the plows may be guided to the right or left of the rows or hills, by means of the hinge-connections ate 6, as may be desired, and the using of two parallel beams, E E, with said hinge-connection maintains the plows always at right angles to the line of draft, no matter whether the plows are directly in rear of their point of attach- 7o ment or on either side of the same.

On the standard 0 of the Lshaped axle is placed a sleeve, G, which fits easily upon the same to permit of vertical adjustment, and the standard is also provided with the hori- 7 zontal bracket 9 and hook h below the sleeve. The said sleeve G is provided with ears or projections, to which is bolted a screw-threaded rod, 9, which passes downward through a nut,

9 which rests upon the bracket 9, and the position ofthe sleeve upon the standard 0 is regulated by the not The sleeve G is also provided with a bell-crank lever, J, pivoted or otherwise movably secured thereto, said lever having a hook at each of its free ends, one of 8 which hooks is con nected byastiffspiral spring, H, to the hook h,.before mentioned. The other arm of the bell-crank lever is connected by means of a link or chain, j, to asimilar hook, f, on one of the plow-beams E. The spring 0 H is of sufficient strength to nearly counterbalance the weight of the plows, and the tension of said spring may be regulated by the nut 9 raising or lowering the sleeve G and its bell-crank lever, as may be found necessary.

When it is desired to elevate the plows, a Very slight lift with the hand of the operator serves to raise them, and as the bell-crank lever moves forward on its pivot, by the force of the spring H in assisting to raise the plows, the leverage of the said lever decreases upon the side of the plow and remains substantially the same on the side of the spring; but the tension of the spring being greater when the spring is expanded, and becoming less as it contracts, the force of the spring decreases as the leverage on the side ofthe plow decreases, so that the lifting force of the spring trans mitted to the plows is substantially the same throughout the lifting of the plows. When the plow has reached the elevated position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, the arm of the bell-crank lever has passed forward to such a position that the pivot of the said lever is almost in the line of draft of the linkor chain j, thus enabling the spring to hold the plow in its elevated position by throwing the bulk of the weight of the same upon the pivot of the lever.

The connecting link or chainj is so formed that the lateral movement of the plowbeams will not interfere with the successful operation of the spring in raising the plows.

\Vhen it is desired to lower the plows, a

downward pressure of the hand upon the handle will be sufficient to cause the plows to fall, where they will remain by their own weight.

In Figs. 3 and 4 I have illustrated in detail the clip shown at c c, Fig. 1, and also in reversed position at a a. It is composed of two parts of exactly the same construction, and each part consists of the curved portion on, provided above with the ear a, formed with a bolt or screw hole, and the ear 0, at right angles to the ear n, below the curved portion, and also provided with an aperture. These apertures are so arranged that when the two parts are placed together, as shown in Fig. 6, the holes will be opposite each other and will allow the insertion of a bolt or screw. The complete clip provides a central aperture, M, which maybe either circular in shape or p0 lygonal to lit a polygonal axle-bar and a recess, 0, for the insertion of a flat portion of the standard C. This portion of the standard is inserted first and bolted in place, when the bolt will form the back of a hinge, so that the two parts may be moved apart for the admission of the bar of the frame A, and then tightened upon it by another bolt passing through the ears a. The same form of clip is used to connect the downwardlyextending 1 arms of the frame A to the axles B, the clip in this instance being used in an inverted position. By loosening these two clips at and c, the axle may be adjusted laterally with reference to the frame A; and when the required adjustment is secured the connections maybe made perfectly rigid by simply tightening the screws or bolts of the clips.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a modification or equivalent of the sleeve G, in which the vertical adjustment is secured by means of bolt, slot, and corrugations, as above described.

On the left in Fig. 1 I have shown another form of lifting device, which constitutes the subject-matter of a divisional application for Letters Patent filed by me March 31, 1888, and given Serial No. 269,059, and is fully described therein.

While my invention has been shown in connection with a two-wheeled cultivator, it may be applied to any machine of similar character, or to sulky-plows or any class of machines having vertically-moving plows, shovels, beams, or teeth which are required to be elevated or sustained in an elevated position.

I do not limit myself to the exact constructions herein described, as the same may be varied to a considerable extent without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim,and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-- l. The combination, with a beam or dra bar, of an L-shaped axle and an arch-bar, the vertical portion of the axle connected to the elevated portion of the arch-bar, and the downwardly-extending portion of the bar connected to the horizontal portion of the axle, said connections permitting lateral adj ust' ment, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a beam or dragbar, of a main frame having an arch construction, a sleeve movably mounted on a vertical part of the frame, a lever pivoted to said sleeve, one end being connected with the said beam or drag-bar and the other connected by a spring to a stationary part of the frame, and an adj usting-screw interposed between the said sleeve and a stationary part of the frame,

substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a beam or dragbar, ofa main frame composed of an L-shaped axle and an arch-bar connected together, a sleeve movably mounted on the vertical arm of the axle, a lever pivoted to said sleeve, one end connected with said beam or drag-bar and the other connected by a spring with a stationary part of the frame, an adj listing-screw connected to said sleeve and passing through a stationary part of the frame, and a nut on said screw, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

IVILLIAM SOBEY.

\Vitnesses:

CHARLES H. LEE, H. CLINTON CASE. 

